[PHOTO] The core members of the Pastafarian Club meet to discuss the harassing messages posted on the door of the president and vice president of the club. The emergency meeting occurred on Oct. 7 and was held before the Pastafarian Club's first actual meeting of the year, which occurred Oct. 10.

by Steven O'DacreTwo individuals are currently undergoing disciplinary procedures through the Dean of Students Office after an investigation by MTU Public Safety determined that they posted a threatening message on the door of the President and Vice President of a recently-formed student organization called the Pastafarian Club.

The remarks were first published on a Wikipedia article on 12:32 a.m. on Oct. 1, and a minor correction was made to the page one minute later. The two individuals then printed the page, highlighted the remarks in question and posted the printed page on the residence hall room door of the President and Vice President of the club (who are roommates).

The remarks read, in part, “it has been proven that throughout all of history every pastafarian has been gay.” They go on to say, “many believe they should be shot and hanged from the tallest redwood and then thrown to the raging sea.” The rest of the message contains several other sexual-orientation slurs and an obscenity.

According to the president of the Pastafarianism Club, Matt Halberstad--who identifies as agnostic--the group is a parody “religion.” But the group’s purpose isn’t to attack religion, and one would be hard-pressed to find a member of the group who truly believes in their parody deity--the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

The parody “religion” is called The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and the associated system of beliefs is called Pastafarianism. These came about in response to a decision by the Kansas School Board to include the theory of Intelligent Design in science classrooms. In an open letter to the school board, Bobby Henderson, an Oregon State University physics graduate student, wrote: “I think we can all agree that it is important for students to hear multiple viewpoints so they can choose for themselves the theory that makes the most sense to them. I am concerned, however, that students will only hear one theory of Intelligent Design.”

In a satire of the decision of the school board, Henderson went on to describe a deity called the Flying Spaghetti Monster which is similar in many ways to the typical Judeo-Christian belief of God.

The vice president of the Pastafarian Club, Steven Wheeler -- who is atheist -- believes that Henderson’s argument boils down to the main belief of the Michigan Tech chapter of the Pastafarians: creationism, whether or not one believes in it, is not a science, and should not be taught in a science classroom.

Pastafarian Club Secretary Lauren Schaffer -- who is Catholic -- agrees: “The group basically believes that religion belongs in a theology class, and science belongs in a science class. Whatever fancy names you give it, creationism is religion. A lot of people don’t realize the amount of scientific evidence an idea requires in order to become a scientific theory,” Schaffer said.

But many people seem to misunderstand -- at least initially -- what the group really believes. “Originally, my understanding of the Pastafarians was that it was just mocking religion,” said Allen Beverly, a student who identifies as Protestant. “Now I realize that it’s mostly just a political statement that something needs to be done about how we deal with religion in schools.”

After the “Flying Spaghetti Monster” Wikipedia article was vandalized, the remarks were removed in just four minutes. However, Wikipedia logs the history of edits to every page back to the creation of that page.

Halberstad and Wheeler say that they were told the identity of the individuals, but such information must remain confidential by university policy. Neither Halberstad nor Wheeler knew the individuals who wrote the remarks beforehand, and they can only speculate on their motivations and beliefs. “With no religion, I can’t see any reason that anyone would dislike our group that much,” Wheeler said, adding that he doesn’t know the religion of the individuals.

Beverly believes that respectful debate should be maintained, even if someone believes -- correctly or incorrectly -- that their religion is being threatened. “If it was a religious person,” he said, “how is a threat conveying what we (as religious people) are supposed to stand for?”

Brian Hempel, who identifies as a non-denominational Christian, says he believes it sounds like they are ridiculing religion, even though [he] is aware that the group states otherwise. “It appears that the Flying Spaghetti Monster is just mocking religion,” Hempel said, but he believes that the remarks made on the Wikipedia page were completely uncalled for. “It’s something that deserves to be deleted right away.”

Hempel understands where the misconceptions probably come from, however. “The Flying Spaghetti Monster doesn’t properly communicate their beliefs,” he said. He sees the satire meaning something different than what the group states: “The Flying Spaghetti Monster is portrayed as replacing God, and so it argues that God is ridiculous,” he said.

Halberstadt says that misconceptions are probably the reason for the threat received. “I think a lot of people who have heard about us really don’t know what we’re about,” he said. “I think many people think we’re trying to attack religion or God-bash. We’re not. We just want to be groovy.”

Melissa Hitchcock, who is the Technical Director for the Rozsa Center and the Pastafarian Club’s advisor, agrees: “The group is not a negative force that seeks to attack religious beliefs,” she said. “Many members are in fact members of a variety of religions. The students plan to engage in informed discussions and perform acts that enrich the University population, and bring an alternative view to the fore.”

In fact, Schaffer estimates that more than a quarter of the approximately 30 members of the Pastafarian Club have some sort of religious affiliation.

Henderson, who created the religion, even says that he doesn’t have a problem with religion. “What I have a problem with is religion posing as science,” he said. “If there is a god and he’s intelligent, then I would guess he has a sense of humor.”

But the misunderstanding isn’t universal. Matt Myers, a student who is a self-described atheist, assumed a more accurate understanding of the group’s beliefs when he first heard about it. “I would say that the big thing that unifies the members is a teaching of science over religion in a science classroom,” he said.

The same weekend that the vandalized Wikipedia article got posted, Halberstadt says that 15 to 20 signs advertising the club -- which had been properly posted outside his and Wheeler’s room -- were torn town.

According to Halberstadt, the individuals were charged with violating the Bias-Related Harassment and Violence section of Michigan Tech’s Code of Community Conduct. To Halberstadt’s understanding, the threatening remarks are not being handled as a criminal issue, and are instead being handled as an issue of school policy. Public Safety and the Dean of Students Office declined to comment on this matter.

The two individuals who were charged in this incident also declined comment. Their identity is being kept confidential, but the Wikipedia page has logged the IP address as originating from a student room in the residence halls.

The Bias-Related Harassment and Violence section of MTU’s Code of Community Conduct covers threats due to one’s “race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, religious or cultural identity, sexual orientation, gender-identity or gender.” The penalties for violating the Bias-Related Harassment and Violence section range from disciplinary probation to expulsion.

An informal hearing will be held later this week with the Pastafarians and the individuals charged. According to Patricia Gotschalk, the Director of Student Judicial Affairs, informal hearings include options of “mediation and restorative justice that can be facilitated by University staff.”

Wheeler wants the Pastafarian Club to be a place where “we can discuss religion in a social context and not worry about offending anyone.” He went on to say, “You need to be tolerant of people’s beliefs and their ways of life.”

“We, as Pastafarians, are definitely about free speech, but there was definitely a line crossed,” added Halberstadt.

Although the group is founded on a serious opinion, members go about their business light-heartedly. During a Pastafarian Club meeting on Oct. 10, members jokingly wished others might be “touched by his noodly appendage,” a reference to the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

“We’re also here to make Tech better,” Halberstadt explained during the meeting. The group plans to participate in Make a Difference Day. Additionally, inclusive events such as monthly pasta dinners are in the works. They are also hoping that they will eventually be able to bring a comedian, a lecturer or a musician to Tech.

“Our goal is, if nothing else at all, we want to expose them to something different,” Wheeler added.

For those with an interested in Pastafarianism in general, the national Web site may be found at http://www.venganza.org. For those interested in joining the Michigan Tech chapter of the Pastafarians, their next meeting is on Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. in Walker 109. The chapter’s Web site can be found at http://pasta.students.mtu.edu.

The Michigan Tech University Pastafarian club has been the victim of harassment even before their first meeting. The MTU Lode reports:

[story reprinted at top]

Two individuals are currently undergoing disciplinary procedures through the Dean of Students Office after an investigation by MTU Public Safety determined that they posted a threatening message on the door of the President and Vice President of a recently-formed student organization called the Pastafarian Club.

Some background on the MTU Pastafarian club’s leaders:

According to the president of the Pastafarianism Club, Matt Halberstad–who identifies as agnostic–the group is a parody “religion.” But the group’s purpose isn’t to attack religion, and one would be hard-pressed to find a member of the group who truly believes in their parody deity–the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

The vice president of the Pastafarian Club, Steven Wheeler–who is atheist–believes that Henderson’s argument boils down to the main belief of the Michigan Tech chapter of the Pastafarians: creationism, whether or not one believes in it, is not a science, and should not be taught in a science classroom.

I agree with that, but there are people - maybe not in this particular club - who do truly believe in the FSM. Also, I want to make the point that there are plenty of Christians who are members of the Christian religion without truly believing in the deity God/Jesus.

The harassment was hateful, not unlike some of the messages I receive. In part, the message said:

they [Pastafarians] should be shot and hanged from the tallest redwood and then thrown to the raging sea.

The individuals who left the hate messages were caught and are now facing a hearing:

The Bias-Related Harassment and Violence section of MTU’s Code of Community Conduct covers threats due to one’s “race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, religious or cultural identity, sexual orientation, gender-identity or gender.” The penalties for violating the Bias-Related Harassment and Violence section range from disciplinary probation to expulsion.

The outcome of this will be very interesting. Even if the death threats were not meant to be taken seriously, they were still hateful messages directed at members of a religious group on campus. What if the harassment had been instead directed at an Islam club? I strongly suspect the kids would be expelled.

I wonder if the school admins are willing to make the statement that Pastafarians deserve less protection against religious harassment than other mainstream religions.

That said, I don’t think these kids should be expelled. But it would upset me if a Pastafarian organization received less protection than another religious organization (or any other organization).

I guess we’ll see what happens.

249 Responses to “MTU Pastafarians harassed”

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1. 241 Morty Jan 23rd, 2008 at 6:58 pm

From the very first night I was touched by his noodly apendage, our lord and master has watched over me, protecting me with his presence, and bathing my now fulfilled heart with his sauces of love. He shall forgive the misguided youngsters, and, years from now, they will truly come to appreciate how powerful our Lord and Master really is. RAmen. 2. 242 Mike the Knife Jan 27th, 2008 at 1:06 am

Make these knuckleheads go before the appropriate council & then have them “outed” for being sissies so easily terrified by an elaborate internet joke. Maybe they want to also punish the smiling emoticon :-) for being so glib.

Athiest= Someone who has grown up enough to no longer believe in imaginary friends. 3. 243 TamAlthor Jan 27th, 2008 at 7:56 pm

I guess I count as a creationist. However I am appalled by the idea of ID being taught in a science class. Maybe as a part of social studies, even then I get the wiggins. ID just seems way too Judea-Christen and exclusive to other versions of creationism that are just as valid. I really love the Pastafarian movement. I find it funny to think that ‘back in the day’ Christians were thrown to lions for their beliefs and now some Christian want to throw Pastafarians into the raging sea? Seems like an unreasonable lack of empathy. 4. 244 bernie Jan 28th, 2008 at 12:51 am

Be sure that if you stick your head above the parapet, you will then be a target.

Use this harassment; it provides a forum for discussion, an apprenticeship of power struggles and an insight into pyschology. Be remaining calm, dignified and full of sauce, you will prevail.

Plus, you’re probably better looking than those cousin-fuckers.

much love Bernie 5. 245 Sapphire Jan 28th, 2008 at 9:46 am

That is cruel and shocking. I have just recently discovered Pastafarianism and I do hope no-one will wish to hang me from a redwood. Or throw me into the raging sea. :-S But it shows how insecure they are. To be threatened by people who enjoy an internet joke! It does illustrate that people are scared of those who are diffent. It threatens them. agnostic = someone who doesn’t know whether to believe in the bogeyman or the monster in the closet. Toodles (Or noodles!) The New Member Sapphire 6. 246 Eric Jan 28th, 2008 at 4:30 pm

Well, I would have those misdemeanors over for dinner, and maybe they’d grow to be more respectful of Our Lord if they had received Him.

Apparently their God allows hatred to be spread by his followers. I like to think that the FSM’s noodly appendages are hate free, as are Pastafarians. I don’t hate people that don’t believe what I believe…

I mean we all have our own road to walk, I prefer to walk my road in full Pirate regalia… 9. 249 xixusanitarium Jan 30th, 2008 at 9:49 pm

This is so wonderful, for some reason christianity never fails to rear it’s ugly head of hatred, condemnation and absolution. Most christians don’t know that christianity didn’t become popular until the mid 1600’s, when the church finally obtained enough wealth to influence government. The choice was an easy one, convert to christianity or be tortured, watch your wives and daughters raped and your sons murdered. If I join this church will my pasta dinners be considered Holy Communion?

1. 1 B☠☠ty Oct 23rd, 2007 at 3:58 am

Hmm - keep yourselves safe MTUites - there are some scary people out there. And they should be given the same rights - no question - any group should - religious or otherwise - what if someone said that to the Chess club? 2. 2 storm petrel Oct 23rd, 2007 at 4:05 am

The hate mailers have started leaving notes now. The students responsible should get suspended or given a substantial fine, if they just get a slap on the wrist, they’ll think it’s considered acceptable. 3. 3 Captain FiZ Oct 23rd, 2007 at 4:14 am

Those kids should probably be expelled. I went to MTU for a year, expressed that I didn’t care for Counterstrike to one student, and I received so much harassment that more than 7 kids got expelled for leaving me multiple, and very graphic death threats for the remainder of my year there. It’s a very strange school. I guess people lose sight of reality from all the isolation up there. 4. 4 Red Dutchpasta Wench Oct 23rd, 2007 at 4:14 am

Threats like this are never acceptable, either against a religious club or as Booty says the chess-club. It should be made very clear to all. Disagreeing is ok, being against a group, their ideas etc is ok, threats are not! 5. 5 Bookem Oct 23rd, 2007 at 4:20 am

Hanging someone after they have been shot would be a bit pointless wouldn’t it!?! 6. 6 III Oct 23rd, 2007 at 4:22 am

> there are people - maybe not in this particular club - who do truly believe in the FSM

thank you for acknowledging that. i realize that it might seem kind of silly, but as i’ve gotten older i’ve found that science does *not* hold the answer to everything, and for me the fsm does the best job of filling in those empty spaces.

i don’t pray (or prey) to the fsm. i don’t expect him to change my world. but he does bring me peace of mind. 7. 7 PacificPam Oct 23rd, 2007 at 4:54 am

Bah…they are just ignorants; people who are as violent as their god is. That’s what is wrong with these crazy (please note that I said crazy) religious people: Only them are right! Egocentric, ignorant, full of shit, people. 8. 8 PacificPam Oct 23rd, 2007 at 4:55 am

What do I get for the 7th post? 9. 9 Wench Nikkiee Oct 23rd, 2007 at 4:56 am

It’s absolutely frightening where some people have their minds. That is so sick! I think those kids should be sentenced to see some sort of councilor. 10. 10 I love eruptions in heaven Oct 23rd, 2007 at 5:02 am

How saddening. I’d say expell them, or let them be lectured about the greatness of pastafarianism by a pirate. 11. 11 B☠☠ty Oct 23rd, 2007 at 5:04 am

Pacific Pam - for 7th you get an extra ration of rum - here is comes… *Booty throws the tankard across the Atlantic* 12. 12 ۞ Oct 23rd, 2007 at 5:11 am

I don’t think you should expell kids for acts of stupidity. That is a very hateful message, but they probably don’t mean it and haven’t acted on it in anyway. They should certainly be made to see the stuidity of their action and given a chance to reform. . If they do it again, then expell their asses. 13. 13 Perna de Pau Oct 23rd, 2007 at 6:08 am

It is disgusting but I agree that those kids should not be expelled for their stupidity. . Instead they should be properly lectured, dressed in full pirate regalia and obliged to make a conference on the merits of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (parmesan be upon him). RAmen 14. 14 Thalassophobic Pie Rat Oct 23rd, 2007 at 6:11 am

I don’t think they should get expelled either. But maybe a fairly substantial fine, or being forced to redecorate the pastafarian chapel. Maybe make a not to scale model of heaven. . One model of ours and one model of theirs. Bet theirs would be rubbish. 15. 15 Pluto Oct 23rd, 2007 at 6:43 am

I think they should be nailed to a piece of wood and left on a hill side. 16. 16 Graham Oct 23rd, 2007 at 6:50 am

“I agree with that, but there are people - maybe not in this particular club - who do truly believe in the FSM. ”

Yes, and you think those people are crazy, right? RIGHT? I find it disturbing that you’re beginning to talk about this jape as if it were a real religion, one that deserves as much protection as other religions!

Yikes! I thought you were pointing out the silliness of unfounded beliefs, not adding to their number! 17. 17 Pluto Oct 23rd, 2007 at 7:17 am

Graham, please understamd, bobby just said that for people who would visit the frontpage, so that they would really thinkg there really are people who beleive. 19. 19 Cottura 5 Minuti Oct 23rd, 2007 at 7:19 am

@Graham - This is just about as real as many other religions in a number of ways. Here is one of them: If you look at modern christians for example, many of them don’t believe the bible word for word. They don’t believe that the world is 5000 years old, that Moses parted the red sea in two, that those people lived to be 700 years old, that there was ever a Noah or an arc, that Jesus did what the bible says he did, etc etc. . Those people just get together at churches for weddings and funerals and listen to priest there. So to them being a christian is talking about various issues at christian wedding and funeral parties. We get together to talk about various issues under the embrace of His noodliness. I’ll hand it to you that we are on average most likely more secular than other religions, but I think that at least I believe in the gospel of the FSM as strongly as many christians I know believe in the bible if they really start to think of it. . Maybe my faith is even stronger, for I believe very strongly in the dogma that religion does not beling in the science classroom. Have faith Graham! 20. 20 Paisley the Pirate Oct 23rd, 2007 at 7:21 am

If anyone did that kind of crap at my college, there would be a disciplinary hearing and they would probably be expelled. OU just doesn’t see a lot of death threats and would probably take it seriously. 21. 21 Cottura 5 Minuti Oct 23rd, 2007 at 7:22 am

Typo galore, but who cares. Most pirates must have been illiterate in their days anyway. 22. 22 NowTheWorldHasMeaning Oct 23rd, 2007 at 7:36 am

Can someone keep us upto date with what happens to the thugs that wrote the message, hope they get kicked out! 23. 23 pastapirate Oct 23rd, 2007 at 7:42 am

the kids that bullied those loyal lovely pastafarians should be made to be dressed in full pirate regalia and promote pastafarianism for a whole day, you know, like handing out leaflets and standing under a big banner with a picture of our dear FSM on it in a local mall or town centre or something. Don’t expell them just because they did a few stupid things, embarass them! They won’t forget that! 24. 24 Iron Bess Oct 23rd, 2007 at 7:47 am

Once again this begs the question, why are the religious so insecure? 25. 25 storm petrel Oct 23rd, 2007 at 7:51 am

Religious people who honestly believe don’t go around trying to shove it down other’s throats, those who aren’t so sure but think they should believe completely, hate to have any extra doubts raised in their minds. 26. 26 Boarg Oct 23rd, 2007 at 8:42 am

How did these rednecks get into college, and a technical college at that? A little ironic, perhaps? Kick them out; they’re obviously ninjas. Let them thump bibles or shoot squirrels or whatever they enjoy all day instead of taking up space that could be occupied by rational people, pirates or comely wenches. RAmen 27. 27 Jolly Bloger Oct 23rd, 2007 at 9:33 am

I’m so sick of pandering journalists smirking cheekily as they confess that “well actually you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who REALLY believes… its just a parody religion.” Would they say that about Islam, or Mormonism, or Scientology? Just because YOU don’t understand it doesn’t mean it isn’t true, and doesn’t give you the right to say that I don’t fully believe it. 28. 28 PacificPam Oct 23rd, 2007 at 9:38 am

@Botty. Since it had to travel all across the Atlantic, I just got it! mmmm there is nothing better than beer at 11.45am 29. 29 PacificPam Oct 23rd, 2007 at 9:38 am

Do you know what I like about rednecks? Bourbon! 30. 30 Red Dutch Pasta Wench Oct 23rd, 2007 at 9:49 am

۞ Oct 23rd, 2007 at 5:11 am I don’t think you should expell kids for acts of stupidity.

* Shouldn’t you be expelling stupid people at an university anyway? I mean, they are supposed to be smart right? * * PacificPam: wow, a miracle, Booty sends over rum and you get beer ! It’s a miracle ;) 31. 31 El Peatieablo Oct 23rd, 2007 at 11:10 am

Want to know how out of the loop I am? I go to school at Tech, and this is the first I’m hearing about this. So somebody is directly threatening my life? Where’s 4Christsake (aka Christ4All), the friendly neighborhood murder prevention expert/sadist, when you need him?! . I thought things were going so good here, too. There was a pirate themed freshmen orientation, pasta at every meal in the dorms, MTU is a huge drinking school (is grogphilic a word), there are lots of pirate shirts around, and I’ve worn FSM shirts/sweatshirts/eye patches an awful lot and nobody said a thing. . Then again there is an awful large Campus Crusade for christ influence at Tech. In my opinion it was just some drunk fundies frustrated by the lack of wenches making threats. . @ PacificPam “mmmm there is nothing better than beer at 11.45am” Ever try beer at 11:44 AM? 32. 32 bombadil Oct 23rd, 2007 at 1:14 pm

this is flat-out prejudice! they should be chorged wiith a hate crime 33. 33 Michael T Oct 23rd, 2007 at 1:18 pm

Why am I reminded of Jewish businesses in Germany being painted with “VERDAMMT JUDEN” right before the Nazis unleashed Kristallnacht? 34. 34 bombadil Oct 23rd, 2007 at 1:44 pm

Michael T ok your going a little to far, it’s not has bad as the onset of the holocaust. however, what they said is not only offensive to pastafarians but i’m sure some gay peoople would be offended to. maybe we should ask the guys who wrote it…. 35. 35 bombadil Oct 23rd, 2007 at 1:50 pm

@Bookem yeah but i guess it’s the equivalent to putting someone’s head on a pike. it’s meant to scare others and so disrespect for the corpse 36. 36 bombadil Oct 23rd, 2007 at 1:51 pm

I cannot see the funny side of a death threat against a university student, especially in a country where massacres on campus are a common hobby. . I know the part “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” - I missed the one about handing out death threats. 38. 38 Iron Bess Oct 23rd, 2007 at 3:00 pm

@Bombadil - Tom, how do you feel about putting meatballs on a spike? 39. 39 ☠DutchPastaGuy☠ Oct 23rd, 2007 at 3:28 pm

I’m impressed with how well Pastafarianism has taken root at that campus. From the article: . “We’re also here to make Tech better,” Halberstadt explained during the meeting. The group plans to participate in Make a Difference Day. Additionally, inclusive events such as monthly pasta dinners are in the works. They are also hoping that they will eventually be able to bring a comedian, a lecturer or a musician to Tech.” . Wow, I wish there were enough Pastafarians here at Queens University Belfast for that! 40. 40 Mario Terracotta Oct 23rd, 2007 at 5:28 pm

I think as true and righteous pastafarians you should’nt have such bad senses of humour,whoever filed the complaint should be righteously smited…

RAmen! 41. 41 PastaTux Oct 23rd, 2007 at 6:15 pm

Hi All, Irrespective of whether the FSM is a Parody religion, a social protest against teaching ID as a science, a real religion or simply a group of oddballs looking for some comedy relief, the actions of the students in question is unacceptable and needs to be treated seriously.

That said, it seems to this oddball that FSMism has become something more than it was first intended to be. It is now more than a simple protest and has become (dare I say it) a bastion of rationality. May word of His Noodly Goodness spread through all the seven seas! Arrr 42. 42 The Donkey From The Moon Oct 23rd, 2007 at 6:57 pm

While i admit, willfully pointing out the flaws of the religions of others is perhaps not the greatest of ideas, the fact that people tend to overreact in these cases seems ridiculous, i mean, if you had actually worked to discover what we are talking about and understood our (usual) parodic nature, the harassment would cease…i really am talkin in circles here, so i am gonna get to the point: DON’T KNOCK IT TILL YOUVE TRIED IT.

@ ☠DutchPastaGuy☠, you’ll never know if there are enough patafarians in QUB unless you go looking for them. If you know any of the rowers we might know a few people in common. 45. 45 ☠DutchPastaGuy☠ Oct 24th, 2007 at 1:53 am

@ St John the Blasphemist- Yes it was pretty shit. If I was going to do shit like that I’d at least scatter the insults through out the broader text so they would be harder to find at a glance and have grater effect to anyone reading it (as it would appear to be part of the original text). Just goes to show that once again we out class our rivals in every way. It reminds me of the kids who draw cocks on the posters at bus stops. Very sad. 47. 47 storm petrel Oct 24th, 2007 at 2:21 am

@ ☠DutchPastaGuy☠, I’m actually in UL (Limerick, not London), I just know a few from rowing. Also having a few problems with e-mails, I’ll drop you line whenever I get around to sorting it. 48. 48 bombadil Oct 24th, 2007 at 5:40 am

People who make death threats against anyone should be expelled. The school has to make a stand as to what kind of community it is and what kind of community it wants to be. There’s no place at a university for neurotic whining bullies who make ostentatious death threats against others in the community. 50. 50 I Oct 24th, 2007 at 9:46 am

People in the FSM club should not have had this threat directed at them. I never see anyone of a religion threatening anyone else of a different religion. I never see a christian threaten a jewish person with hell or anything. Why should it be different with us?

I 51. 51 I Oct 24th, 2007 at 9:47 am

People in the FSM club should not have had this threat directed at them. I never see anyone of a religion threatening anyone else of a different religion. I never see a christian threaten a jewish person with hell or anything. Why should it be different with us? I 52. 52 I love eruptions in heaven Oct 24th, 2007 at 9:59 am

Oh joy. Hopefully these hicks get treated to the same kind of discipline as they would have if they had attacked a Jewish or Muslim club. The Church of the FSM may not be entirely serious, but Atheism, Agnosticism and Humanism certainly are.

Shouldn’t you be expelling stupid people at an university anyway? I mean, they are supposed to be smart right?

But young and bright doesn’t necessarily mean sensible. . I would be senseless to ruin some kids education for a bit of high-jinx that they probably thought was harmless - even funny - at the time. . I’m not saying give them Carte Blance, but they get one warning and then its clobberin’ time.

56. 56 Iron Bess Oct 24th, 2007 at 2:11 pm

@I love eruptions in heaven - I’ve seen both sides of that argument. I believe at this point it will be difficult to prove that one, both sides have been arguing about that for years. No one, not even crazy, fundy, nutbars want to be associated with Hitler. 57. 57 Steven O'Dacre Oct 24th, 2007 at 4:27 pm

“Typo galore, but who cares. Most pirates must have been illiterate in their days anyway.”

Typo galore? (Don’t you mean “typos galore”?) The only errors were “torn town” should have been “torn down” and there were a few instances of Halberstadt’s name that were spelled “Halberstad”. I know this because I’m the journalist that wrote this article.

Due to a glitch in the system, the editors actually used an incorrect draft of the article–there was a bit more information in the newer version, but unfortunately, it did not get published. Also, Public Safety actually DID comment on this issue–but again, the wrong version got published. Additionally, the typos were corrected in the newer version.

“I’m so sick of pandering journalists smirking cheekily as they confess that “well actually you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who REALLY believes… its just a parody religion.” Would they say that about Islam, or Mormonism, or Scientology? Just because YOU don’t understand it doesn’t mean it isn’t true, and doesn’t give you the right to say that I don’t fully believe it.”

Speaking, again, as the journalist who wrote this, I will tell you that this is what I was told from the president and vice president of the club. And it doesn’t apply to all Pastafarians. Just most of them (or all of them) that are in this chapter of the club. Please be careful when you make assumptions. I am a journalist–and I strive to be a GOOD journalist. I record facts and what people believe and I do not insert my own opinions into the article. If I could have found someone who actually believed in the FSM, I would have mentioned that. I do not pander or take sides.

If I wanted to write an opinion article, it would have been clearly marked as such. And for those that are curious, yes, I took much offense to what was written, and I really like what the Pastafarians stand for. But if I write a follow-up article, I will not let any opinion I have affect my coverage of a news issue as is the standard of good journalism everywhere.

Now, for an update. The individuals who wrote the harassing message have gone through an informal hearing with the Pastafarians. The outcome has not yet been officially released, but I am looking into this. I want to say I’m fairly certain it didn’t turn out favorably for those accused of writing the message, as the IP was pretty easily tracked to a specific room. (I believe Public Safety did this with the cooperation of Resnet, the on-campus ISP, because otherwise it would not be possible to pinpoint the room, only the building it came from.) Additionally, the individuals charged are consenting to an interview about this, but by University policy, their identities must not be revealed. So I’m gonna see if they have anything worthwhile to write a follow-up article about.

If you have any questions about the whole situation, feel free to point them my way, as I could probably get the information for you if it’s available. 58. 58 SCAD Pirate Kate Oct 24th, 2007 at 9:46 pm

Alas, this is another sad instance where members of our peaceful religion are being needlessly attacked. I wish others would realize that their own religions’ codes of conduct also call for peace.

Be safe MTUites! 59. 59 Lockzilla Oct 25th, 2007 at 5:41 am

if this kinda thing happened in the navy, those who were caught sending threats would probably either be kicked out and made to pay back any bonuses, and if not, then definately locked up in “restriction” for 2 or so months. with any luck, the aggressors will feel the touch of his noodly appendiges and chill the hell out 60. 60 Pastaronii Oct 25th, 2007 at 5:51 pm

Just another example of how religious certanty poisens society. These kids are basically just like Hitler in their violent thoughts towards other groups/ organisations. The responsible should be heavily punished not only as an example to other students, but to show them that this is absolutly unacceptable. It is ridiculous that it is those who advertise themselves as non-violent and moral(Christian’s) that did this. I am definatly not the only person who finds this disturbing that 18+ year olds are thinking about lynching and murder. I am appalled but also not suprised. The extreme violence that is infecting the minds of religious organisations all over the world (aside from Pastafarions =) is crazy but has been there for quite a long time. Just take a look at the Crusades, Salem Witch Trials, or any one of the other violent religious escapades that they have supported. Many think that violence on the part of religion is over and it belongs in the history books, but this is proof that it still exists and is still a driving factor in the lives of the religious (again minus the Pastafarions becasue we preach and act upon peace, something Christians and Muslims cant attest to). As a plead to my fellow Pastafarions, continue to be good examples in society and remember that your actions reflect upon the rest of your fellow Pastafarion Brothers and Sisters.

well.. i’m originally FROM the town in question (Houghton Michigan, rep-rah-zent!) and as a pastafarion from that region (i’m now located a couple hours south of there ^^;;) i find myself betting that nothing will come of this, as about a year ago, i nearly got thrown out of a class at NMU for choosing to do a presentation on the pastafarion group on NMU’s campus for a class presentation on a school organization. i had to complain loudly to my professor’s boss in order to force a passing grade, as my presentation fit all the requirements for the project. that said, it makes me sad to know that the board of MTU is probably not going to take this offense seriously. 64. 64 Commodore Angryy Oct 29th, 2007 at 3:22 am

Why does it not surprise me that Xians are using violence to solve their problems. I’m sick of this shit where they say “if you’re wrong in this life, God will see fit to punish you in the next one”, and yet they pass judgement on us! These bastards are comparing themselves to their own deity! Well guess what, now i can too. I’m saucy and full of energy. 65. 65 Piave Fan Oct 31st, 2007 at 4:01 pm

Geez guys, There is no evidence that these infantile students believe in me. Only that they are homophobic and mildly retarded. Also I’m not sure that the state of MI or the US considers the statement “many believe they should be shot and hanged from the tallest redwood and then thrown to the raging sea.” a threat. It is a statement relating the opinion of some, regardless of the author. That being said, I have to tell you now, that I am applying for membership at the MTU campus Pastafarian Club. If the Son of God can be a member then all Xtians should probably follow suit. As a matter of fact I am having tea and matzah crullers with Vishnu, Buddha, Mohammed and Captain Kangeroo this afternoon and will bring them each an application. Flying Spaghetti Monster was invited but has a seriously f***ed schedule right now and he has asked us to pencil him in for sometime in ‘08. Peace and RRRRamen. JC 67. 67 Unanimous Cowherd Nov 1st, 2007 at 1:36 pm

It might be worth pointing out that the “death threats” these two college kids posted are not really much when compared to the ordinary “hate speech” of many christians. Really.

Most christians I grew up around would not hesitate to describe in great, gory detail the eternal punishment set up for all unbelievers. Endless fire and devils with tongs. Tortures without end. Horrible burning repeated endlessly with no relief for ever and ever. And this message is applied liberally to every single unbeliever — even nominally “christian” folk who didn’t belong to the correct christian sect. If you are the wrong kind of christian (and not just mormon or catholic or lutheran) you were doomed.

I’m not kidding here.

So, given this background, can you sincerely say you’re surprised by the the message from these two?

Would they even see it as hate speech? To them, it was simply telling the “truth”.

It’s depressing, true, but hardly surprising. I’m from rural Georgia, so seeing things such as this…as I said, depressing, but hardly uncommon, though I suspect that one is less likely to see such things further north. The Bible Belt is renowned for its intolerance of nearly everything different-race, sexual orientation, religion…anything you can think of. I’m leaving the southeast for college ASAP, but I have lived here for most of my life-people are very upset about this incident, and rightfully so, but I’m not so much shocked as just saddened. 69. 69 Jack D. Martin Nov 3rd, 2007 at 12:25 pm

It seems people are forgetting that these are technically adults. They are not in high school. They are on a college campus. In all likelihood, they are at least 18 years old. Thus, they should be treated like adults. Threatening someone is considered assault in most, if not all states. They should be prosecuted accordingly. 70. 70 swbtmis Nov 4th, 2007 at 1:16 am

I think it’s stupid to not critiized a person’s religious beliefs. Just because a person wants to believe in some unbelievable, unprovable myths, don’t suddenly make them protected from criticism. I know people who believe in UFO’s and can quote many of the startrek episodes of the 1960’s word for word. Is that any weirder than the beliefs of today’s current religions? What about the Aztec’s and sacrificing children? How are the masses that pray to the judeo/christian/muslem god going to fell when they die and find out it is BAAL the ancient god that is really in charge of eternity? 71. 71 MTU Student Nov 4th, 2007 at 12:45 pm

swbtmis, we are not try to stop criticism of peoples beliefs, we are merely trying to protect the rights of the members of our groups and keep them free from harassment. An example, if I post anything outside my door relating to pastafarianism, this religious kid comes and tears it down. I would report him, but I don’t want to make a big deal of it. Meanwhile he has all of his religious stuff outside his door (e.g. Jesus fish, cross, WWJD sign, etc.) I should go down there and tear his stuff off the wall. 72. 72 CastleArrgh Nov 5th, 2007 at 1:34 pm

Graham Oct 23rd, 2007 at 6:50 am writes: I find it disturbing that you’re beginning to talk about this jape as if it were a real religion, one that deserves as much protection as other religions!

Graham, I think you are insincere in YOUR religious beliefs, therefore your religion deserves no protection. Okay, I don’t actually think that. But I hope it makes you realize the nature of what you are suggesting. WHO gets to judge the sincerity of someone else’s belief systems? Either it’s freedom of religion, or it isn’t. There is no middle ground.

Yikes! I thought you were pointing out the silliness of unfounded beliefs, not adding to their number!

Just goes to show how many religious nutters take this seriously. If this happened to muslims or scientologists, we’d hear about it. 78. 78 prsquash Nov 7th, 2007 at 7:18 pm

Whomever these low brows are, they should be shot with a ball off their own poop!!!! if we had access to time travel, another subject not to be discussed without copious amounts of beer, we should send them back to the time of the crusades!!! 79. 79 prsquash Nov 7th, 2007 at 7:19 pm

In evaluating the actions of the harassing MTU students, the appropriate question is not, “Is Pastafarianism a ‘real’ religion and therefore protected under the university’s code?” but, “Did the students who threated the Pastafarians consider it a religion?” From the little bit published in the article, it doesn’t sound like they did.

That said, it should not matter - at MTU or anywhere else - whether the harassment is motivated by hatred of someone for their ethnicity, gender, religion, race, etc., but whether the harassment is hateful in and of itself. And on those grounds, threatening someone’s life certainly fits the definition.

I’m not one of those PC-crazed people who think that a kid who hugs another kid is committing sexual harassment, or that a pair of pointy scissors should be considered a weapon. But I do think that there are way too many kids these days who are raised with an entitlement mentality. They get trophies for “trying” and in any dispute about their behavior between a teacher and such a child, the parents side with the child regardless of objective evidence. In short, these children are raised to be the center of their own universe, and when they get out into the world a bit and their world collides with reality, they react badly - in some cases, lethally.

Religiously motivated violence is this entitlement mentality to the nth degree - or to be more precise, the entitlement mentality that leads people to kill in “defense” of or in obeisance to their religious beliefs has now trickled down to the individual level. The kids who left those messages clearly consider the beliefs and even the extracurricular activities of others to be anathema to their own, and to themselves specifically. (Hmmm… like those who consider a gay couple in another state to be a “threat to [their] marriage”.) The students’ threats make them no different than the schoolyard bully who whales the tar out of the geeky kid with glasses just because he can get away with it.

Regardless of the religion angle, the MTU harassers should receive some sort of sanction. Maybe not expulsion, but perhaps suspending them for the semester would be a wake-up call: You can’t be a hater here, and if you try, you’ll pay (literally) by forfeiting your tuition and class credits. Won’t Mom and Dad be proud? 81. 81 Capt'n Camothy Nov 8th, 2007 at 8:10 pm

How SAD that this happened in my homeplace. Really. I feel unclean. What close-minded fools. On one hand, they shouldn’t be harrassing based on religeon. On the other hand, they shouldn’t be harrassing period. On the Noodly Appendage, they shouldn’t be wasting time being assmuchers when they could just think for ten seconds and figure out that we’re not attacking anyone. Bunch of noobs. 82. 82 MTUite Nov 9th, 2007 at 8:50 am

I’m a student at MTU, and I have also heard a lot of negative talk about the Pastafarians. It was posted in our last MTU Lode (school newspaper) that the Undergraduate Student Government reimbursed the group $54 (I know, huge) for “two gospels and advertisements.” I personally found it frusterating because I know that USG is on a very tight budget and this money is being taken away from the other organizations on campus. I have seen groups that run campus wide events plea for more money, only to be turned down. Obviously death threats are crossing the line, but I think the group needs to rethink it’s approach. Student Activity Fees have been increasing every year because little groups like this believe they are contributing to the campus. They are giving the image that they are buying books for their own personal use. The group needs to do something visible, like have speakers come in, or host movies. That’s just my $0.02 83. 83 can't think of a good name Nov 9th, 2007 at 4:02 pm

Here’s what’s interesting about that threat. It mentions being shot first, when, since that would probably kill, the rest of the threat is simply a waste of time and energy, and purely academic. After all, the people you shoot aren’t going to care if you hang them from the highest redwood and throw them into the raging sea, they’re dead. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being “I’m going to put ice cubes down your back”, and 10 being something so unimaginably horrible there aren’t even words to describe it, I’d say that’s around a 6, and that’s being generous. Next time, be more creative, and think more about the implications of each portion of the threat. 84. 84 CastleArrgh Nov 9th, 2007 at 5:51 pm

… and then, we will taunt you a second time. 85. 85 irish catlic lad Nov 11th, 2007 at 11:08 am

There’s two pastafanrians in our school and we beat them up all the time because they are a different religion to us (We do this purely for the comical value, however, the beatings are very real). I’d advise all pastafananararians to arm themselves/flee there country, as the discriminitive beatings in our school are bound to spread. 86. 86 ☠DutchPastaGuy☠ Nov 11th, 2007 at 11:59 am

@irish catlic lad Wrong!! Pastafarianism is set to take over your Catholicism-infested island. We won’t do it by beatings of course. You yourself will come round. When you grow up, learn that the world view your mum learned you is just a bunch of rubbish fairy tales you’ll see the error of your ways. And the attractions of beer and strippers work wonders for many too. 87. 87 Bookem Nov 11th, 2007 at 1:41 pm

“catilc” does that leave you with a mouth full of cat hair? 88. 88 MTU Secretary Nov 11th, 2007 at 5:36 pm

Hey all, I happen to be the secretary of the MTU Pastafarians, and I just wanted to mention two things -

The people responsible for the note have been dealt with. The university did step in to deal with it, and offered us the choice to have a formal process or an informal discussion to settle things. The Pastafarians chose to go with the informal discussion, and since then the matter has been resolved (I’m actually not allowed to go into any more detail).

Also - to MTUite- In all actuality, I’ve heard that the USG has no budget problems at all - in fact they have money they don’t know what do do with. I’m not swearing by this - it’s just what I’ve heard. I do know that during our start-up BUDGET meeting, the president of the USG questioned our beliefs.

We’ve got some events planned, but we’re just starting out. We would have been putting on events sooner, but we’ve had to sort out out budget - it’s hard to do anything with $54. We are planning a spaghetti dinner, movie nights, bake sale, and are trying to bring in a speaker next semester. Just you wait - there will be events! 89. 89 Will Nov 13th, 2007 at 8:54 pm

Thanks for following this up MTU Secretary. Good to keep objectivity.

One (amongst many) evolutionary biology perspective on this is that the members of a group - e.g. the group of people who posted the threats at MTU - benefit from xenophobia. Their relationships within the group are strengthened because they are in opposition to those outside the group, so they will have support in adverse circumstances. Their shared, reinforced, and supported aggressive behavior make them more likely to engage in confrontations and more able to win those confrontations, so they are more likely to gain access to restricted resources - breeding partners, food, etc. This applies to any grouping. BOILERPLATE MORALITY DISCLAIMER: as noted by any able thinker (e.g. Darwin, Dawkins, the Archbishop of Canterbury) the psychological mechanisms present in modern humans as result of their evolutionary history can be overridden by conscious decision, and this choice of action constitutes an individual’s morals.

Research shows (New Scientist, can’t remember the issue) that the group mentality is created in seconds, and can be created over the stupidest premises, and include the daftest memberships e.g. drawings of animals, bits of coloured card. So it’s no wonder that modern democracy sucks; bring on the RoboPirocracy - Long John RoboSapien as President For Life!! (Graham - irony in that last paragraph there in case you’re worried) 90. 90 Ringoes Nov 13th, 2007 at 10:32 pm

“they [Pastafarians] should be shot and hanged from the tallest redwood and then thrown to the raging sea.”

So much for Christian charity, love and forgiveness. Osama would be proud of them.

Ringoes, NJ 91. 91 Anonymous Nov 14th, 2007 at 7:53 am

I have an idea for the most vicious thing possible to do to those folks who issued the death threats. We should organize a campaign to send them flowers or some other type of gift, with the note that we of the church of the great noodely one in the sky believe in forgiveness and acceptance, and we hope that one day they too can follow the noodely one’s example and love their enemies as themselves. How’s that sound? 92. 92 storm petrel Nov 14th, 2007 at 7:56 am

Good idea, but not entirly sure if they’d appreciate the irony. 93. 93 tadchem Nov 16th, 2007 at 5:54 am

It is wrong to condemn a whole group for the stupidity of a few people who happen to belong to it. Each individual deserves the right to be condemned for their own personal stupidity. 94. 94 Noodles with soy sauce Nov 17th, 2007 at 7:01 pm

I think those religious bigots should be lectured by Pastafarian pirate as punishment as somebody else said before. Anonymous recommended to send them flowers and gift in the name of the FSM. Good idea. 95. 95 Doctor Internet, PhD Nov 18th, 2007 at 2:26 am

Annoying. I hate it when people are narrow minded. What is probably going to happen is that if MTU finds out who made the notes, all that is going to happen is they will get a slap on the wrist. 99. 99 bandit Nov 18th, 2007 at 5:35 am

“Hanging someone after they have been shot would be a bit pointless wouldn’t it!?!”

Well, the German Army in WWII would hang all suicides or attempted suicides. It was deserting (sp), and the penalty for deserting was hanging. The Law Had To Be Followed!!!

Of course, if you shot yourself in the army, I assume they gave you a gun, the bullets, and a course on how to use it. If you couldn’t kill yourself with all of that, it is a Darwinian sort of thing to be hung.

I find this to be rather silly and depressing at the same time. I went to the *real* Tech in New Mexico. I always considered all the other Techs to be wanna-bees … this just seems to prove it.

Sigh.

BTW - I am a fundi that thinks a fair number of folks who use that term have a god so small, they can only see him when they have their heads up their asses.

This may be a bunch of oddballs protesting religion’s influence on education, but so were the Illuminati. Threatening those who think for themselves is as old as religion itself. People who think for themselves have as much right to meet and discuss thier beliefs as those who blindly follow archaic doctrine. Threatening FSMists or any other group of free thinkers is akin to the threats brought by the Unibomber against the purveyors of technology. I am a new convert and look forward to discussing further the happier side of all of this. I also look forward to dressing like a pirate. I look great in vests! 101. 101 Xenon Nov 19th, 2007 at 5:40 am

I hope that the people who wrote this stupid message were just drunk. Otherwise it makes one wonder which page they started reading their holy book. I’m pretty sure that they skipped the page where you read “thou shalt not kill”. May be a translation of the book would be useful. Here we go: “You are banned from killing or murdering. This ban includes other humans.”

In either case, they should not be expelled. I seriously do not understand the logic behind expelling or suspension from school. You just make the person worse-off and more pissed-off after missing so many days from school and hanging out with other thugs (this includes their whole future in case of and expulsion). Just force them to take and pass some ethics and philosophy classes. That will teach them (literally).

Cheers, be safe mates! X 102. 102 weirdguy Nov 19th, 2007 at 11:08 pm

Wow, death threats for not caring about Counterstrike? Which religion is that? 103. 103 Donovan Nov 19th, 2007 at 11:17 pm

This is a good example of what it REALLY is like out there to be a non christian, and particularly, not affiliated with ANY religion at all. You lose the protection that the law provides against persecution. What I find most disturbing in this is just HOW threatened the christian establishment really is by the pastafarian movement. Before we were scattered “loonies” refusing the protection of the flock. We were an insignificant challenge to the established doctrine.

The christian establishment had better mark these words. We are getting organized, and we wont be patronized and vilified any longer. We ask only for the freedom to believe as we wish, and yet the hate mail section of this website is absolutely packed with threats, condemnation, and ignorance. Quite the turn, the whole “good christian” concept only applies to “real” christians? Hypocracy wears many clothes my friends, it also wears many faces and names…however, you will always know it’s potential, by the presence of a certain little book.

Donovan, Agnostic ex-lutheran, now Proud pastafarian, because all I really want is a sense of belonging to something that will HELP to define us. Something that allows us to only for a second, touch true greatness. 104. 104 neal Nov 20th, 2007 at 12:17 am

It depresse, our s me that the church of the FSM have lost track of the true god. The FSM’s only offspring our Lord, Terry Tiramisu, died for our indigestion and to provide us with an eternal home in Sicily-in the-sky when we die. To this end he sent the Blessed Braccioli to inspire us to worship him as our Lord and Savior. You who do not enbrace this new redemptive message are doomed to the eternal garbage can and the Tasty Triunity will show you no mercy for all time to come. Embrace the new faith before it’s too late! 105. 105 Michigan Pastafarian Nov 20th, 2007 at 3:30 am

In other news, local television in Detroit (http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/14641482/detail.html) is reporting via the AP that the city of Menominee, Michigan - west of MTU - is planning a government-sponsored nativity scene, complete with city-funded lighting. In order to maintain a semblance of church-state separation, “Members of the parks and recreation committee approved the display earlier this month with the provision that non-Christians be allowed to add their symbols.”

GLORY be to his basil-infused sauciness! Finally, an opportunity for FSM to become a state-sponsored religion! All we need is an (oh my goodness will this term be used loosely) appropriate FSM-themed nativity display. If one can be procured/supplied/created/conjured, I will be *more* than happy to fly to Menominee and demand equal space with the other religious displays…

So what about it, fellow Pf’s? Do we have a crafty image of our appendaged holiness to share with the good, godly people of Menominee? 106. 106 Captain Capelli d'angelo Nov 20th, 2007 at 3:56 am

Man this is too good. I see the FSM in the news in the not to near future!!! 107. 107 earthspirit Nov 20th, 2007 at 7:53 am

Death threats? Expel them! Then have them walk the plank while eating a plate of spaghetti. 108. 108 Midget in Pirate Regalia Nov 20th, 2007 at 5:00 pm

No, no spaghetti for them! They are out of communion with FSM! Let them eat Chef He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!

You tell me. 9 slices with shallots & garlic. I had a lonely 10-minute wait in a medical clinic examining room and found this on the sign outside the room. I copied it down as very carefully and precisely as I could, but I have no experience or practice with this particular code. (My Mom was expert at it and taught it at the Red Cross.) All I know is that a 14-year-old French boy invented this code.

Which raises a very interesting question. The Internet is a tsunami of helpful, clever solutions that bring a flood of enjoyable and practical gifts to all sorts of people with all sorts of challenges and special needs all over the world. But what is the intersection set between the Internet and blind users? What's on the Web for the blind? This is now on the Internet -- but how can a blind person grok it or access it? Do they make gizmos that turn ASCII into raised dot fingertip code?

30 January 2008

Is this premature? Well, after his 3rd place finish in the Florida Republican primary, the first-day lead stories from the big national papers say this is the End of Rudy -- la Commedia finito!

New York City had two famous Italian-American mayors, Fiorello LaGuardia and Rudy Giuliani.

LaGuardia was humane, beloved, fair, scrupulously honest.

Giuliani beat the crap out of the homeless, screamed his brains out at any official who dared to thwart his will, had the most extraordinarily pretzeled romantic life -- at one time a court order from his wife and the mother of his kids barred him from setting foot in the Mayor's official residence -- and tormented the mentally ill and the addicted. He also sterilized Midtown Manhattan and turned it into a synthetic Disney theme park.

One resembled St. Francis of Assissi, the other resembled Benito Mussolini. In Florida, a hit squad of New York City firefighters stalked his campaign appearances telling voters that Giuliani's unwillingness to provide up-to-date radio equipment that worked contributed to the needless deaths of firefighters at the World Trade Center on 9/11.

If Rudy makes some kind of miraculous resurrection, we'll take him out of the garbage can and put him back in the Agence-Vleeptron Presse Babysitters Poll. Meanwhile, here are the remaining candidates. Anyone in this bunch you'd trust to babysit your beloved little child alone for two hours? Leave A Comment. Let me know your thoughts.

29 January 2008

The Yankee Federationis the independent breakaway nation of New England consisting of the former USA states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. The capital is Burlington, Vermont, on the shore of Lake Champlain.

I would like to write a few words about graffiti, but why bother? It's not like anything I say is going to make taggers ashamed of themselves and stop tagging. In the documentary "Style Wars," a teen tagger explained that they tag to show the community who really runs the city. It's an illusion that the mayor and the police run and control the city. Every night the taggers come out and prove that they control the city. In large American cities, the degree of tagging, the neighborhoods where most of it appears, and its blunt and clear statements that this neighborhood belongs to a particular violent gang is the primary reality the residents must acknowledge. Messages, laws, rules from the city government are an afterthought and can be ignored. But half of urban tagging is not gang-related but is the spontaneous public explosion of individual outlaw artists who did not wait for conditions to improve in their lives so they could attend art academy and have gallery shows. They bought spraypaint and declared a wall to be their canvas. Tagging is Art without a government License.

In southern France a Boy Scout troop was tasked with cleaning up grafitti and erased some unlicensed public art they found on the walls of a cave. The grafitti was about 30,000 years old.

But not too much larger. The American artist and architect Donald Evans painted -- watercolors mostly -- his postage stamps the size of ordinary postage stamps, and punched the perforations and did all the mechanicals by hand. When he had a gallery or museum exhibition, he could carry the entire show under one arm.

He lived the last and most productive years of his young life in the Netherlands and travelled obsessively through Europe. Most of his stamps are imaginative reflections of countries we are familiar with, but re-named, and with different emphases. lo Stato di Mangiare (the State of Eating) is Italy, more or less, but obsessed with its great national industry of hundreds of dirigibles floating by in the sky and dragging their cigar-shaped shadows over the landscape. His stamps are themed with delicious fresh fruit and vegetables, beautiful women, and interesting-looking old chairs. The stamps of Licham en Geest (Body and Soul) are the marine mammals of northern Europe. The stamps of Isles des Sourdes (Islands of the Deaf) are hands making sign language words for the numerical denominations of each stamp. The stamps of tropical islands are echoes of the era of European colonial times.

Kendrick and Eldering, of the Michigan Department of Health, began working on a whooping cough vaccine in the early 1930s. Results from inocculated children proved successful. Michigan began producing and distributing the new vaccine in 1940.

During the previous decade, whooping cough caused an annual average of 6,000 US deaths, most children younger than five. Kendrick's and Eldering's vaccine virtually eliminated all fatalities. Later, the two created the DPT shot, a combined inoculation for diptheria, whooping cough (pertussis) and tentanus.

Uh-oh, mercury in the infant vaccinations rears its head again. First a researcher surveyed YouTube videos about childhood vaccinations and found that the majority advised against childhood vaccines. Now ABC (the American Broadcasting Company, a commercial TV network owned by Disney) is set to broadcast a fictional lawyer show in which a lawsuit successfully makes the link between mercury preservatives in the vaccines and autism.

True, false, misrepresented, skewed, distorted, blown out of proportion, spurious -- this is the urban legend which will not die.

And it always seems to be an uphill defensive battle between physicians and pediatricians, who are nearly unanimous in advocating for the standard childhood vaccinations, and the growing community that believes mercury is responsible for an increase in childhood autism.

At the end of the day it seems to boil down to a fundamental question of confidence and trust. Whom do you trust for advice about the health and protection of your child?

Not necessarily your physician. Certainly not big pharma. Your city or state public health department? Your public school administration? A commercial TV show in which an actor portrays an idealistic personal injury lawyer who fights for the little guy/gal against big pharma? YouTube? Internet websites by anti-vaccination advocacy groups?

==

Reuters (UK-based newswire)Monday 28 January

ABC defends showagainst outcryby pediatriciansby Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -- The ABC network said on Monday it will go ahead with plans to air an episode of its new legal drama "Eli Stone" despite objections from pediatricians who say the show may discourage parents from having their children immunized.

The debut episode features the show's title character and hero, a trial lawyer for big corporations who decides to fight for the little guy, convincing a jury that a mercury-based preservative in a vaccine caused a child's autism.

On the show, a jury awards the boy's mother $5.2 million in damages after it is revealed the CEO of the vaccine maker kept his own daughter from getting the company's vaccine because of autism concerns.

The "Eli Stone" plot ventures into a highly charged debate between the U.S. medical establishment and some parents and advocates for autistic children over the safety of vaccines for youngsters.

Critics of childhood immunization have argued that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative formerly used in vaccines, is a primary cause of autism in young children.

Major health authorities, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), cite numerous studies that rule out any scientific link between autism and vaccines.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, reacting to a synopsis of the "Eli Stone" episode in a recent New York Times article, issued a statement criticizing the show as "leaving audiences with the destructive idea that vaccines do cause autism."

The academy also made public a letter to ABC, a unit of the Walt Disney Co., calling on the network to cancel the show's premiere episode, which is scheduled to air Thursday.

"Many people trust the health information presented on fictional television shows, which influence their decisions about heath care," academy president Dr. Renee Jenkins wrote in a letter to Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney.

ABC said it plans to broadcast the episode without changes, but would run a disclaimer at the opening of the show stating the story is fictional. A message at the end will refer viewers to a CDC Web site for information about autism.

The show's two creators, Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim, disputed the notion that their show would frighten parents away from vaccines.

"We actually share the concern of the American Academy of Pediatrics. We believe that children should be vaccinated," Berlanti told Reuters. But he also said, "We hope that people do watch the episode and draw their own conclusions."

Jenkins, in her letter to ABC, said the pediatricians group is "alarmed that this program could lead to a tragic decline in the immunization rate."

"In the United Kingdom, erroneous reports linking the measles vaccine to autism prompted a decline in vaccination and the worst outbreak of measles in two decades, including the deaths of several children," Jenkins wrote.

(Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Todd Eastham)

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